S3 Sportbacks - limited numbers? Discounts?

143 posts in this topic

Blimey, much quicker than I was expecting, undoubtedly on par with mine, probably quicker! Seems to go for a second wind about 4-4500 and then a soft limiter kicks in about 6500 before a 6800 max, peak power plateau from 5500-6800.

Demo car was a Sportback and surprisingly a manual - joyous!!! Good ratios, nice long sixth, taller than my S4. Pick up in sixth even from 50 mph was impressive. Plant your foot and 0.5 seconds later as the boost builds off she goes. Didn't like pulling away in second though - admittedly a lazy habit I've acquired with my V8. Today was hardly a fair test of mpg, you'd need to borrow one for 24 hours or a weekend to know what it does 'on a run', although one guy on Audi SRS is saying his has done 42 mpg long term average from new which is remarkable.

Very impressed, could definitely live with one of those day-to-day. I'm sure the 3dr handles even better - and gives better mpg - with its slightly shorter wheelbase and less mass (off top of my head Sportback is approx 40mm extra in the wheelbase and 40mm extra rear overhang)

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I do think the reason we hear so much about VAG's DSG and little about equivalent boxes is down to the sheer number of cars out there fitted with it.

I can't help thinking most other manufacturers have been more honest, both with themselves and their customers, and realised that it's actually quite expensive to make a flappy paddle (*) gearbox reliable, and hence only offer it on high end performance cars that actually benefit from it and can bear the cost.

In hindsight, VAG would have been much better advised taking a leaf out of BMW's book and concentrate on developing their auto boxes instead. Obviously they wouldn't produce anything as good as BMW's 8 speeder, but it'd be better than the DSG for (as I said) 99% of the models they put it in.

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Early days but almost 6k miles with the 7 speed S-tronic in the S5 and no problems. I'd agree with Dan, it's an absolute pleasure to drive. Seamlessly working away in the background while I potter about, you struggle to notice the changes. The economy is brilliant. Then lightening quick and smooth changes at full blat.

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I do think the reason we hear so much about VAG's DSG and little about equivalent boxes is down to the sheer number of cars out there fitted with it.

We have just as many Fords with the Powershift gearbox as we had cars with DSG, we've had a failure rate of zero on the Powershift boxes, and a frankly amazing 100% failiure rate on DSG boxes, yes, the gearbox on every single DSG equipped car we have ever had, has failed.

Make of that what you will, but personally I wouldn't even consider DSG on anything that was going to click past 60k miles while in my ownership.

I appreciate our cars have a harder life than average, but they are all treated equally hard be they Ford, VW, Vauxhall, Mercedes etc, the highest mileage DSG box we had did just a smidge over 100k before it died, the lowest mileage box went at 35k, most of them go pop around 70-80k miles.

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Hi Dan, finding a car was a total ballache as I wanted a three door,plenty of sbacks about,

Managed to locate one build week 3, not the exact specification I wanted, but I need to get out of the current S3 sooner rather than later, so I took the car.

Basically three door black pearl, tech pack, comfort pack and a few other bits just North of 36K, managed to get a 6% discount, should be in it by mid Feb, well thats the plan, but hey ho it is Audi we are talking about, would probably take them 12 months plus to build & deliver a OEM key fob if their past efforts are anything to go by

I was going to hang on for the new RS3 which is supposed to be launched March, but whilst I can live with the DSG, do not want a "sportback" which is just a marketing b0ll0x of a name for an estate car.

Why in Jeebus name they cant build a 3 door manual RS3 is beyond me, as if you want a uberfast estate car, you buy the RS4, why add another layer of the same configuration, when you could build a stonkin 3 door version with some serious attitude and performance, whilst still retaining a reasonable level of practicality